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Yakuza 4 Ships 500,000, Franchise Tops 4 Million

Yakuza 3 launched in the US earlier this month and Yakuza 4 is already burning up the sales charts in Japan.

According to Classy Gamer citing Sega's most recent sales figures, the latest Yakuza entry has already shipped over 500,000 copies in Japan. This means it has already outsold Yakuza 3, which apparently sold just under 500,000 (499,436) before the end of 2009. Considering all this, the series as a whole has sold over 4 million copies worldwide, which is a fantastic accomplishment; it averages out to around 1 million per title. Yakuza 3 has been pulling down great review scores here in the US and although it had to compete against Final Fantasy XIII and God of War III launched a week later, it's still a quality PS3 exclusive for March. And remember, if you want Sega to deliver Yakuza 4 at some point, you should support the franchise by purchasing Yakuza 3...even if you have to wait until finishing FFXIII and GoWIII. For those looking for a relatively unique, open-world brawler that seems like a cross between a limited GTA and an advanced Sreets of Rage, look no further.

American gamers may never have the same enthusiasm for this series but then again, a title centering on the Japanese mafia (and always in Japanese without an English voiceover option) will logically be more popular in the Land of the Rising Sun.